Inside the dangerous underground frat houses killing students with extreme hazing rituals

Three 18-year-old college students have died so far this year after taking part in dangerous hazing initiation rituals for fraternities and sororities.Victims’ families and organizations against hazing both warned initiations are getting worse year-by-year.Ridiculous rituals required to be welcomed into frats have included being forced to swallow live goldfish, waterboarding — the controversial torture technique used on Guantanamo Bay detainees which simulates drowning — and, bizarrely, being required to bring a squirrel into the initiation, The Post has learned.Freshman Anthony Joseph Blas, 18, was allegedly pledging to fraternity Delta Chi, which was already banned by Cal State Fullerton for alcohol, drugs and hazing violations when he died.It follows the deaths of students Colin Martinez, 18, and Savanna Jones, 18, who were subjected to hazing rituals during parties in separate incidents.All three died from suspected alcohol poisoning.Hazing across college campuses continues to soar with at least 556 cases reported between July 2025 and August 2026.Anti-hazing campaigner Jolayne Houtz, whose 19-year-old son died after being hazed at Washington State University in 2019, says the worst of it occurs in unrecognized groups and urges universities to take action to save lives.“They’re operating with impunity and nobody is holding them to account,” she told The Post.

“It is intolerable and we need to start treating it like a public health crisis to finally put a stop to it.”Blas was just two weeks into his freshman year when he decided to pledge, according to his family and had learned he was accepted to join on September 12 and invited to the fraternity house that night to celebrate.But he became unresponsive at the event and was dropped off at St.Jude Medical Center by a group of students just after midnight, where he died.The Fullerton Police Department said the teenager’s death was from suspected alcohol poisoning but ruled out hazing or foul pla...